


Mend

by TheIntelligentHufflepuff



Series: Post-Infinity War ruminations [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), steve and carol better be friends in the mcu or so help me...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 19:31:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15914805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIntelligentHufflepuff/pseuds/TheIntelligentHufflepuff
Summary: Never fear, Carol Danvers is here!Also, it's never too late for a funeral.





	Mend

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not ruling out adding more to this drabble series but considering they accidentally developed a plot, I think I'll put this at the end and mark the series as complete because it makes a nice conclusion to the arc if I ultimately don't write anymore.
> 
> I'm so excited about Captain Marvel, but the sneak peek photos that were published yesterday (?) seem to show her as more serious than my interpretation of the comics character is, so I've tried to kinda combine them in a way that hopefully isn't too out of character and is enjoyable too. Also, Steve has a type and Carol is totally it, though obviously he's not gonna be falling in love with her anytime soon. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Wakanda was so quiet at night that sometimes it disturbed Steve, who had grown up in the bustle of the city that never sleeps and had learnt that with silence comes ambush; who now knew the touch of pure, soundless shock. 

 

That night, Steve sampled paralysis as he lay awake, nightmares and anxieties flitting in front of his mind’s eye, surrounding him. For once, he was less disturbed by the creations of his worn-out mind than what he’d woken up from- not because the dream he’d had was bad, but because it was three things: exquisitely good, intimately believable, and entirely impossible. Steve could never kiss his best friend as his dream-self did, never run his hands through Bucky’s hair as he’d longed to do, never simply exist together again as they’d always done, because Bucky was dead. That was the truth. And it tore him apart, again and again, time after time at the strangest of opportunities, in the strangest of ways. It was a loss that Sam would have understood, doubled because Sam wasn’t there to do so. A loss that the world shared, that Natasha wouldn’t talk about, that Tony couldn’t, that Wanda could do nothing but confront. 

 

During dawn’s slow approach Steve was paralysed. But when the sun came up he had to move; donning clothes (Wakandan, soft), drinking coffee (familiar, bitter in sympathy), brushing his teeth (and avoiding his own eyes in the mirror). Then the pressure of the day continued to build, and build with meetings and planning and jokes that provided a spurt of light but did nothing to allay the weight of the fact that they hadn’t even had time for a funeral. 

 

Steve tried not to dwell on grief, yearning for another direction in which his mind could go. Until six in the evening when, finally, his saviour came in the form of a muscular blonde woman who floated down onto the palace roof wearing a suit coloured red, blue, and yellow. 

 

“I’m Major Carol Danvers. They call me Captain Marvel.” she said, after Rhodey had vouched for her against the understandably twitchy palace guard. 

 

“I’m Steve Rogers.” Steve supplied when it was his turn “And they haven’t dishonourably discharged me yet, so I guess I’m still a captain.” 

 

Major Danvers nodded, gave him a quick, jaunty salute, and replied “To save confusion, I’ll be Cap.” 

 

Steve grinned and saluted back “That’s fine with me, ma’m.” 

 

“Good. Because I’ve been wanting to pull rank on you for a long, long time.” 

 

Steve huffed, pleased at her frankness and the determination her statement implied “I’m glad Thanos didn’t quell your ambitions, then.” 

 

“Right on.” Majors Danvers agreed, holding her closed fist out for a fist-bump that Steve wasn’t late in reciprocating, thank you very much. 

 

“Not that this flirting isn’t amazing in a weird way to watch or anything,” Rhodey interrupted “But why are you here, Carol?”

 

The Major’s expression turned serious as she stepped closer to those assembled, lowering her voice “I think I know where Thanos is.” 

 

“Where?” Steve half-asked, half-demanded. 

 

“Not on Earth. I haven’t been to the planet I think he’s on to check because, and I hate that I’m saying this, I need back-up. Powerful back-up. But my sources haven’t led me astray yet.” 

 

“Are you sure?” Wanda pressed, a look in her eyes that Steve had seen directed at Tony once upon a time. He frowned at her. 

 

“Certain.” Major Danvers confirmed “You aren’t the only ones who want to see his head on a plate; this isn’t something I would mess up.” 

 

“Who do you want?” Steve asked, looking to Major Danvers with his shoulders squared. 

 

She met his gaze clearly and authoritatively. If he wasn’t totally in love with Bucky, Steve thought he would definitely have found Major Danver’s unflinching confidence attractive; as it was, he didn’t even consider looking away as she assessed him in a way that was mostly tactical but not entirely unfeeling. 

 

“I’ll take point for this one.” she told him, then added with a shrug “Space is kinda my thing. You’ll be second in command.” 

 

“Right.” Steve agreed, relieved. 

 

“Can anyone but Thor and Wanda control energy?” Wanda shook her head; Major Danvers continued “Then Thor will come with us because he knows space, Wanda’ll stay behind in case of tricks. We’ll take Natasha, though, and Rhodey. Tony, stay behind.”

 

“When’s take-off?” 

 

“Three hours. Let’s go!” 

 

** 

They were off in two and a half, most of the time having been spent in bombarding Rhodey and 

Tony with questions about the superhero they both seemed to know but whom neither of them had thought to mention. By the time they stepped aboard her craft, in orbit above the Earth, Steve and Natasha had been given a full briefing not only on Carol Danver’s  life story, but (courtesy of Thor) on planets and civilisations they’d never dreamed of. Steve’s heart trilled in his chest as the craft broke orbit and zoomed off, celestial bodies careening past at dizzying speeds. 

 

“It really is the  _ Millenium Falcon. _ ” Natasha whispered. 

 

Steve nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, he was distracted from his seedling mirth only a moment later when they came to an abrupt halt. 

 

“Is there a problem?” Natasha asked. 

 

“Yeah,” Major Danvers replied, twisting around in the pilot’s chair “You never gave anyone a funeral.” 

 

“There wasn’t time.” Steve bristled. 

 

Major Danvers got up, disappeared into the bowels of the ship, and reappeared moments later carrying two large metal cylinders. 

“They’re only old metal casings, but they’re enough for a ship’s burial.” she explained. 

 

Steve bit his lip. 

 

“We don’t have to, but we may die soon.” Major Danvers stated, offering the cylinders to the ship at large “It’s your choice.” 

 

“It will be a fine burial.” Thor said sadly. 

 

“It will.” Steve agreed with a sigh, the weight of many swift burials in a different time heavy on his heart. 

 

Major Danvers placed the cylinders solemnly on the low table in the centre of the ship, folding a green towel over them in lieu of a flag. The colour reminded Steve of grass when it’s the only bright thing around in winter. He couldn’t help but think that it was fitting to be tied to the Earth in some way, even so far out in space. 

 

“We have about ten minutes before we need to move again.” Major Danvers informed them softly. 

 

After that, no-one spoke. In his head, Steve recited the Last Rites for Bucky and a more generic prayer for Sam; he could hear Natasha faintly murmuring to herself in Russian; Thor and Rhodey both simply stared ahead, thoughts concealed. When their ten minutes were up, Major Danvers lifted the cannisters and gently placed them in the airlock. The press of a button later, they were ejected into space. When they were nothing but a speck in the vast expanse before them, Steve turned away. 

 

They carried on. 


End file.
